Monthly Archives: December 2007
Caring for Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan Will Cost $662 Billion Over 40 Years
According to Linda J. Bilmes, a former chief financial officer and assistant secretary of the US Commerce Department, it will cost $662 billion over the next 40 years to care for returned veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Bilmes, who now lectures on public policy at the John F Kennedy School of Government, accuses the Bush administration of being unprepared for what disability benefits and medical care will cost for veterans.
The costs are increased by the fact that more soldiers are surviving their injuries. In Vietnam the wounds per death ratio was 2.6:1, now it is 16:1. In addition there is a large number of soldiers who have disabilities as mental health conditions.
Source: www.newsdaily.com
BIAA History Fact:
In the year 1990, The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) affirmed the rights of citizens with disabilities which makes American society more accessible. It paved the way for the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision, which led to President Bush’s new Freedom Initiative. This initiative is about getting federal agencies to coordinate disability services. It includes systems-change grants to states, which has helped brain injury get to the “proverbial table” in many states.
BIAA Partners with Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for Brain Injury Awareness Month Initiative:
The CDC is planning to launch the “Help Seniors Live Better, Longer: Prevent Brain Injury” initiative in March 2008 during Brain Injury Awareness Month. The CDC has also developed a new set of English and Spanish language materials for older adults and their caregivers. Each publication uses a concise question and answer format to provide older adults, and their family members and other caregivers with information they can use to take an active role in preventing, recognizing, and responding to TBI in older adults. These materials, along with a poster directing people to the CDC’s website for additional information will be available in early 2008.
Neural Activity Connected To Blood Flow In New Brain Stimulation Technique
Neuroscientists at the Uni-versity of California, Berkeley have, for the first time, measured the electrical activity of nerve cells and correlated it to changes in blood flow in response to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a noninvasive method to stimulate neurons in the brain.
Brain Injury Awareness Month: March 2008
CALBIA is busy making plans for Brain Injury Awareness Month in March 2008. Please mark your calendar for the following events:
March 8, 2008
2nd Annual Greek Dinner & Dance for Thought, Long Beach, CA
March 14, 2008 –
Condors Hockey, Bakersfield, CA
March 16, 2008 -
A Night At The Opera, Los Gatos, CA
March 29, 2008 -
Statewide Walk For Thought. Confirmed locations are: Bakersfield Sacramento San Diego Victorville
Each event will provide awareness opportunities, as well as raise funds for CALBIA. More information on each of these events will be posted on the website in the near future.
High School Footballers Wearing Special Helmets to Monitor Brain Injuries
As they root for the home team from the bleachers this fall, high school gridiron fans in the small Illinois town of Tolono won’t necessarily see anything out of the ordinary down on the field. But just out of sight, tucked inside many of the maroon helmets worn by the Unity High School Rockets, a revolution of sorts is taking place. This season, 32 varsity team members are sporting helmets outfitted with the same electronic encoder modules now used by a handful of college teams.
BIAA News Flash
SENATE PASSES TBI ACT REAUTHORIZATION BILL
Earlier today (Tuesday, December 11, 2007), the Senate passed by voice vote S. 793, legislation to reauthorize the TBI Act. The reauthorization includes provisions to continue and hopefully expand TBI Act programs, such as the HRSA State Grant and CDC surveillance programs.
Urge Congress to Enact Omnibus Appropriations Bill Now
The House is scheduled to vote on Dec. 11 on a multi-bill “omnibus” Fiscal Year 2008 appropriations bill which splits the difference between the White House and Congressional budget proposals.
The omnibus appropriations package is expected to consist of the 11 remaining spending bills – including the Labor-HHS-Education spending bill, which funds TBI programs – totaling $10.6 billion less than what Congress had originally planned. The new Labor-HHS-Education bill spending allocation in such an omnibus bill is expected to be approximately $3.5 billion less than its current form.
Urge Congress to Retain TBI Funding Levels Regardless of Appropriations End-Game Strategy
Congress is still working on Fiscal Year 2008 appropriations. At least three options, as explained below, appear to be under consideration.
As events are in flux at this point, please click on the “Take Action” button in the upper right-hand corner of this email to call your congressional representatives and urge them to ensure that, regardless of what appropriations end-game strategy plays out, the funding levels for TBI programs contained in the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill recently passed by Congress are enacted into law this year.
Scientists seek to help ‘locked-in’ man speak
NEW YORK (CNN) — It’s been described as the closest thing to being buried alive — complete paralysis of the body, except for controlled movement of the eyes.
